Frayed nerves and hurt feelings part of the deal at Texas

— -- Texas Motor Speedway enters its 20th season of racing this weekend as the Sprint Cup Series heads to the track for the Duck Commander 500.

And like its race sponsor, the track sometimes has a reality-show vibe.

All the way down to the fights, both literally and figuratively. Some of the fights have left marks on their participants. Others have just resulted in bruised egos.

Here are my five best fights in Texas Motor Speedway history based on intrigue and long-lasting memories. This isn't an on-track retaliation list (so Kyle Busch wrecking Ron Hornaday isn't on it) but rather a list of events - good and bad -- where parties confronted each other outside the race car that added to the spectacle that in some ways defines Texas.

5. Texas Motor Speedway vs. Championship Auto Racing Teams

The April 29, 2001, Champ Car race at Texas was canceled after drivers were experiencing vertigo because of the G-forces they were running.

The high speeds -- drivers hit top speeds of more than 235 mph (the pole was 233.447 mph) -- were not surprising because of earlier testing. Despite questions about the speeds, CART didn't make enough changes to the cars to keep them from going so fast.

The process was a confirmation of the importance of traveling doctors and safety teams. A couple of drivers had talked to CART medical director Dr. Steve Olvey about what they were experiencing. He then began talking to others and then they got all the drivers together.

"When Dr. Olvey explained the problems and asked for a show of hands of drivers who experienced it -- when you saw 24 hands go up, everybody was silent," driver Bryan Herta told reporters.

TMS boss Eddie Gossage was not pleased. He said he didn't want a race with unnecessary risk to drivers, but he said the issues were preventable.

"CART should have known," Gossage said. "We questioned the speed in meetings, in letters. We even offered some of our own suggestions of what to do to the cars."

The track later filed suit for its $2.1 million sanction fee. The lawsuit was settled.

And, ironically, the head CART spokesman, Mike Zizzo, has served as spokesman for the track for more than a decade.

4. Jeff Gordon vs. Jeff Burton

This fight isn't on the list because of the ability of the participants to land punches. It was because of the participants themselves.

Jeff Gordon? Jeff Burton? In a fight?

Yup. They fought during the Nov. 7, 2010, race at the track.

Burton said the accident that knocked out both cars was his fault and that the sun got in his eyes. He said Gordon was right to be upset, but swore he didn't mean to wreck Gordon.

Gordon never believed him. He approached Burton after getting out of the car and they never even got to the ambulance before the pushing and shoving and swings began, Gordon starting it all with a forceful push to Burton's chest. Gordon never landed any of his swings.

"He felt I came up on him and he didn't mean to wreck me," Gordon said. "I'm sorry, I will never believe that. I've been inside the race car long enough to know what your intentions were and I know what they were then."

Neither driver was fined.

3. NASCAR drivers vs. the track

In the second year of the track, the fast speeds and weepers (water coming up through the racing surface) were a concern to NASCAR drivers. They were already upset with TMS thanks to a 13-car pileup in the first turn of the inaugural race in 1997. Then weepers limited their practice time and canceled qualifying the next year.

Gossage didn't really want to hear it.

T-shirts appeared that said "Shut Up and Drive" on the back.

The drivers did race, but various improvements and a repaving of the surface followed.

2. Gordon vs. Keselowski

This was one of NASCAR's biggest brawls in years.

On the first attempt of a green-white-checkered finish in the November 2014 race, Brad Keselowski tried to split Gordon and Jimmie Johnson for the lead. Keselowski and Gordon banged doors, resulting in Gordon having a tire go down and spinning.

The wreck seriously impacted the chances Gordon would have to advance to the championship round of the Chase for the Sprint Cup. Gordon headed straight for Keselowski after getting out of his car, and with their crews on pit road -- following a shove from Kevin Harvick of Keselowski toward Gordon -- the melee was on. Both drivers appeared to have cuts on their face afterward.

"I'm not trying to dish out something that I couldn't take myself," Keselowski said. "But these guys have their own code, and they race differently than that. That's their right. We'll go through these battles. I've gone through them before and come out stronger."

Gordon said he wanted to do more than just talk to Keselowski when he went over to him.

"It's his disregard for what's going on out there ... It's a real shame," Gordon said. "He made an overaggressive move."

Neither driver was penalized, but NASCAR suspended four Hendrick Motorsports crewmen for throwing punches and fined Hendrick crewmen and crew chiefs a total of $185,000.

1. Foyt vs. Luyendyk

This was pure gold as far as fights go, just because it was A.J. Foyt, 62 years old at the time, slapping the 43-year-old Arie Luyendyk after the June 1997 Indy Racing League event.

Foyt driver Billy Boat had been declared the winner of the race that ended under caution, but Luyendyk felt he was the winner and went to Victory Lane to tell the world about it.

Obviously, Foyt didn't like that too much and delivered a backhanded slap to Luyendyk's face before pushing him to the ground.

It turns out, Luyendyk was right, thanks to a problem with his scoring transponder. He was later declared the winner.

"All I know is I got hit from behind and almost [got] choked by somebody and it turned out to be A.J. Foyt," Luyendyk said, according to the Associated Press.